Plumtree radio frequency to improve

Bulawayo Bureau
RADIO and television reception in Plumtree and surrounding areas will soon improve as Transmedia is planning to erect a transmitter in Madlambuzi in Bulilima, Matabeleland South province.

Most people in areas such as Mphoengs and Maitengwe rely on radio and television services from Botswana.

Transmedia chief executive officer Mrs Florence Sigudu-Matambo said, “We are here to asses this Plumtree transmitter site which was condemned because due to structural defects to transmitters hosts. The steel which was used here was of poor quality and is caving because of heavy load. So we are supposed to reconstruct.”

“The transmitter host will not be destroyed but the company will construct another one in Madlambuzi.”

Mrs Sigudu-Matambo said Transmedia was planning to ensure that Plumtree has full coverage up to the border areas such as Mphoengs and Maitengwe.

“We are aware that our borders are more than 100 kilometres from the Plumtree transmitter site but we want all areas to have access.

‘‘Our engineers have been testing sound quality of the transmission which this area was receiving and I can safely say it has improved. This area will have a full coverage soon,” she said.

The Government embarked on a US$200 million digitisation programme in 2016 to migrate from analogue to digital transmission.

Last week, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Secretary Mr George Charamba announced that Government had released US$6 million to the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) to complete the digitisation project amid reports that most transmission sites countrywide were ready for migration from analogue to digital.

Earlier this year, another US$6 million was released by Treasury as part of the US$22 million allocated to the project in the 2018 national budget.